Lighten Up Already

Years ago my dad worked in a private corporation where the chain of command had a few kinks in it. I gave him a mug for his birthday with a line and staff chart that had brutally honest job titles, criss-crossed lines, and all power led back to the CEO’s secretary. It was a joke, it was a hit, and he still has it.

Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) had Republican staff put together a chart of the departments, agencies and commissions and their connections as defined by the health care reform bill (you can see it here courtesy of Roll Call). It has real titles, criss-crossed lines of responsibility, and all power is dispersed so nobody is responsible. It is not a joke. It may take a little artistic license, but it expresses graphically the complexity of the healthcare reform bill. It is an effective communication tool.

Is that why the House Franking Commission has banned members of Congress from using the chart in communications with constituents? If the chart is wrong, the solution isn’t to ban the chart but to create a chart that accurately depicts the departments, agencies and commissions and their connections.

It’s no surprise the chart is being used to make a political point, its a political debate. The bill is 1,018 pages of dense detail. Is anybody actually going to argue that it is NOT a complex and confusing bill? Lighten up already!